(ad- pr)Yorkshire Tapas is a semi-ironic concept that I’ve seen rolled out a few times, notably at my local pub where licensee Paul regularly trots out the same jokes when asked if they do food with his description of Yorkshire Tapas as pork pies, pickled eggs, crisps and Scampi Fries. All admirable enough products in their own right but, with the exception of the very good pies, not 100% representative of top quality Yorkshire produce. One regular notably creates his own fusion dishes by dropping a pickled egg into a crunched up bag of crisps. One suspects though that this is not the sort of thing that Middletons York will be listing on their new Yorkshire Tapas menu, which takes the concept a little more seriously than Paul’s jocular way of batting off food enquiries that he’s not in a position to fulfil.
I’ve long been a fan of Middletons York and felt it rather unappreciated as a place to eat and drink in York, though having got married there some years ago I’m perhaps a touch biased. I’ve eaten there a good few times though and it’s always been solid but now they’ve taken things up a notch, focussing on the restaurant and launching an entirely new menu that eschews the hotel restaurant standards in favour of something much more interesting. Yorkshire Tapas effectively means a menu of small plates that are delivered to the table as and when they’re ready for service. We were advised to pick three or four each so hedged our bets and ordered seven, bearing in mind that this style of menu lends itself easily to appending a dish or two if you feel the need.
Everything Lishman’s of Ilkley make is pretty peerless so a bowl of their Yorkshire Chorizo in red wine and honey reduction was first to be ticked off the list, arriving quickly. In all honesty, it would have been a feat to make this disappointing but the gentle chorizo spice paired with the rich sauce nicely and let the quality of the meat come through. Monkfish cheeks were crispy and with a satisfying chew and a curry sauce which was a bit more aggressive than the descriptor used on the menu, but cautious application of the sauce balanced things back up. Fountains Gold cheese donuts were next to arrive, liberally topped with more grated cheese and with a warm soft centre making a quality bar snack.
Cubes of pork belly with pistachio and a cider reduction were rich and with a sweet tang that leant into the indulgence of this cut of meat perfectly but the true star of the meat dishes was onglet steak served in a parsley and mustard marinade. This cut rewards cooking quickly to serve pretty rare and delivers a deep, meaty flavour with notes of game. It’s a fabulous value cut with a strong personality and coming in at £7.50 represents a bargain on this menu – don’t miss it if you call by. To the side of all this meat and cheese we went for broccoli served with crispy garlic and “dirty” hasselback potatoes, earning that claim of besmirchment thanks to a topping of rich cheese sauce as well as an optional scattering of bacon.
The whole Yorkshire tapas thing runs the risk of dropping into lazy cliche and northern stereotype if not executed with care and a bit of originality, potentially ending up looking like a ploughman’s that’s generating an unnecessary amount of washing up. At Middletons York though every dish hit the brief with Yorkshire produce ably showcased across a range of dishes that put the produce front and centre while elevating them subtly. That onglet steak in particular will draw me back before long!
